Safety razor



July 18, 1933- F. w MERRICK 1,918,856

SAFETY RAZOR Filed Jan. 22. 1932 Patented July 18, 1933 UNITED .stares PATENT rrr-c i :FRANK w. neuartiger Beeren, MASSACHUSETTS sArirrY RAZOR Fig. 3 .is a fragmentary view correspending yto a section on .the line :3-3 lof Fg. 2; Fig. 4.- is a planv of vone form of blade;

Figs. 5 to 9 inclusive `fare transverse .sections on an .enlarged vscaleof .different forms of blades constructed :according `to l.the airvention, Fig. 7 beinga section ven ithe "line '7e-7 of Fig. 4, and Figs. 15,6, 8 and '.9 `being-corresponding sections of `modified ferms Iof blades; p v y f Fig. 10 is a plan of :a fragment on 1an ienlarged scale of :a razor blade constructed .iaccording to Fig. 9; and Figs. '11 and 12 are diagrams.'v x

Referring particularly fto Figs. L1 `and 7, which show the .preferred form .of fthe blade, 'the latter may consist lofa .thinstrip of .sheet metal 1, one longitudinal .edge of which .is formed to constitute .the cutting edge 3. Folded over the vopposite fedge of :the 'blade is a relatively thick ystrip `of sheet metall f5 pressed firmly .against the sides of :thefstrip 1 so .as .rigidly to'secure the aparts :together zand thus form a unitary orsubstantially integral structure. As shown, the opposite edges of 14D thesheet 5 form shoulders 7 lproaiecting Flaterally of the .blade and lying Y slightly lback of and paralleling the cutting fedge f3.

It has beenfound, that :by .suitably :proportioning .the parts, .the :razor :blade shown by Figs. 4 and 7 can-be employed vWithsafety Without the provision-cfa guard in advance of the cutting edge, -the's'houlders 57., 7 Iin :the present construction 5in effect serving as'fa guard. As an :explanation of theell'ectproduced by lthe lrazor blade so constructed -it is believed, that when `the .blade is pressed against the surface .9 (Fig. L11) Jof the skin and is lmoved in the direction .of the-arrow. in the normal shaving operation, the .shoulder 7 forces up `a rippleflfl ofsthe skin beneath appucamn fried Janu-aryf22',`i1932. lserial No. 538,091.

that :portion yof lthev bladef which in front :of saidshoulder so l-as 1to`cause 'the surface ofvthe skin'at the vcutting edge 3 to be roughly tangent thereto, asdistinguished fromthe-ef fecit produced si-f r`:it Were attempted to. perform tfhe'shaving-operation With a lthin blade B (Figa-12) in the labsence of a guard, in which fcase Athe blade VWouldfforce up they ripple 1'1win front of the cutting edge C, said ripple 'so .positioned relative tothe cutting edge that inthe absence of lextreme care ftheskin would be cut.4 This rexplanation of .the ,operation of applicants blade in performing thefshaving operation, as distin guished from the action yof the ordinary safety razor blad-e, is advanced merely for the .purpose of attempting to lclari-fythe invenftion, and is -not intended as a limitation to the particular operation described. It is a facuho-Wever, that applicants blade may be 'i employedwthout a guard in advance off the blade Without `using anymore-care to prevent cutting of the skin than is the case `when employing ftheordifnary safety razor.

The proportionsy ofthe blade may vary Widely, Vbut with -a strip-1jhavi-ng a thickness of 0.006 -of an inch satisfactory results have been v.secured .with a shoulder' 7 `the height'of which is about ltWo and one-half times this thickness, and with ,the portion ofthe strip 1 in front ofthis shoulder equal in Width to about seven or eighttimes this thickness.y f y y l n Figs. .5, 6, 7y and 8 Aillustrate modified forms of .the blade. In'Fig. 5 the'strip 1 is formed on one or bothv sides with integral ribs 13 theforWard faces of which form the ,guardlshoulders 7. The blade shown in Fig. 6 is like that shown in Fig. 7 except Athat the strip 1 is much narrower. The blade shown .in Fig. 8 is similar to thatshown in Fig. 7 'except that theA parts are integrally formed. lThe blade shown in Figs. 9 and 11 is similar to that heretofore described eX- cept that the longitudinally extending shoul- 1 Aders '7 yare formed by providing the strip 1. -Wi'tha series-of slits 15 and pressing outward the 'material between the slits alternately in i opposite directions to `form at each side of the strip a series of projections 17.v y

Any convenient form of holder may be employed for the blade, that preferably used .comprising a 4spring yoke lh'avingthe arms 1.9 `each of which is integrally formed With` the .half 21 fof-a longitudinally extending fl' handle. As shown, the arms are pivoted at 23, While between the halves of the handle is a spring 25 Which urges the arms of the yoke toward each other about their pivotal connection at 23. As shown, the end portions of the arms are formed with notches 27 of length equal to the end portionsof the blade,

which notches receive these ends. For ready cooperation With the notches 27ktlie blade constructed according to Figs. 4 and 7 conveniently is so. formed that the ends of the folded strip 5 extend beyond the ends of theV and 7 may be similarly constructgd. K 1J As'shown, the notches 27 are inclined relative to the'longitudinally extending handle of the holder so as to hold the blade in an inclined position, Which causes the blade when the handle is lheld in the hand ofthe user to be presented to the shaving angle. f

It Will be understood that Wide deviations strip l, and the blades accordincr'to'Figs. 6

. may be made from the forms of the invenparallel relation thereto forming a` rigid,

laterally projecting shoulder acting as a guard for said edge, said means vconstituting a unitary part of said blade and adapted to contact with the skin during the normal shaving operation.

3. A safety razor blade comprising a unitary structure formed With an elongated relatively thin part having a. cutting edge, and, as part of said unitary structure, alaterally projecting, longitudinally extending, rigid ,shoulder portion paralleling said cutting edge in closely adjacent relation thereto and adapted to contact with the skin during the normal shaving operation, said shoulder portion being of suliicient height relative to -its distance from said edge to form a guard for said blade. j

LA safety razor blade comprising a unitary structure formed 'With `an elongated relatively thin part of narrow Width, one longitudinal edge of which latter .constitutes a cutting edge, said blade at the opposite longitudinal edge of said part formedto provide a laterally projecting, longitudinally extending, rigid shoulder adapted to contact With .the skin duringthenormal shaving operation, and said shoulder being of sui'iicient face at the proper` metallic sheet a longitudinal edge of which constitutes the cutting edge, and reinforcing meansffixedly carried lby said sheet comprising a relatively thick, rigid sheet having an `edge slightly back of and paralleling said cutting edge, said edge of said relatively thick sheet adapted to contact with the skin duringl the normal shaving operation, the thickness of saidt-hick sheet beingsuch that said edge-thereof constitutes a guard for said cutting edge. v `f 6. A safety razor blade comprisin'ga thin metallic sheet one longitudinal edge of which constitutesthe cutting edge, a thick rigid sheet folded toeinbrace said -tliin sheet and having-opposite edges slightly back' of and paralleling said cutting edge, one or the other of said edges of said thick sheet adapted to contact with the skin during the normal shaving operation, the thickness ofy said thick sheetbeingsuch that said edge thereof 'conu stitutes a guard for said cutting edge;

i 7 v A safety razor blade having, in ceinbination, ablade having a longitudinally extending, relatively thin part `having a cutting edge, and means cooperating With said edge forming, a rigid guard therefor adapted to contact With the skin dui-ing the normal shaving operation compris-ing apart forming a vea shoulder slightly behind said cutting edge in parallel relation thereto, the height of said shoulder `being sufficient to cause said shoulder to constitute la guard for said cutting edge. 'vv x 8. A safety razor having, iii combination, al blade holder having' a longitudinally extending handle, Aablade having a longitudinally extending, relatively thin part having a cutting edge, said 'blade being operatively carried by said holder `in inclined relation toy said handle, and-means .forminga longitudinally extending", rigid shoulder parallel-ing said cutting'edge behind the latter iii laterallyv spaced,closelyI adjacent relation thereto, the height,` of said shoulderv being suliicient tocausev said shoulder to constitute a guard for said cutting edge.

9. A safety razor having, invcombinatioin a blade holder having' a longitudinally eax.- tending handle, a'blade having a longitudinally extending, relatively thin part having a cutting edge, said blade being operatively carried by said holder in inclined relation to said haiidle,7andineans forming a longitudinally extending, rigid shoulder paralleling said cutting edge behind the latter in laterally spaced, closely adjacent. relation thereto, said means forming a unitary part ofsa'id ,blade and said shoulder being of such height as toconstitute a guard for said cutting edge.

FRANK W. Mannion. 

